William Lyon Mackenzie King: Biography Mackenzie King was first elected to the House of Commons in 1908. He was appointed Minister of Labour in 1910. He was defeated in the general elections of 1911 and 1917. In 1919, Mackenzie King was elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He was elected as the member of parliament for Prince, PEI in a by-election in 1919. In the next general election in 1921, Mackenzie King was elected in the riding of North York in Ontario. Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada in 1921. He took the portfolio of Secretary of State for External Affairs at the same time. In the 1925 general election Mackenzie King was defeated in North York, but remained as Prime Minister with the support of the Progressive Party. He was elected in a by-election in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1926. The Liberal government was faced with a customs scandal and Mackenzie King asked Governor General Byng to dissolve Parliament. Byng refused and appointed Arthur Meighen as prime minister.

The Meighen government lost a non-confidence motion just a few days later and a general election was called in 1926. The Liberals returned to power, and Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada again in 1926. The Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives in the general election of 1930 and R.B. Bennett became Prime Minister. Mackenzie King held on to his seat in Prince Albert and became Leader of the Opposition . In the general election of 1935 the Liberals won a majority government . Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada, again. Canada declared war on Germany in 1939. The Liberals won another majority government in 1940. In 1945, the Liberals again won a majority government, but Mackenzie King was defeated in Prince Albert. Mackenzie King was elected in a by-election in Glengarry, Ontario later in 1945. In 1948, Mackenzie King resigned as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and as Prime Minister of Canada, but continued to sit as a member of parliament. Louis St.

Laurent took over as Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada. Mackenzie King did not run in the 1949 general election. Arthur Meighen Biography By Susan Munroe About Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen was an excellent debater, skilled in analysis and knowledge of parliamentary rules, but his uncompromising stands on issues tended to alienate people. Meighen's most memorable accomplishments were achieved as a cabinet minister in the government of Sir Robert Borden , rather than as Prime Minister of Canada, and the legacy of some of those unpopular moves did not help him as Prime Minister. Prime Minister of Canada Highlights as Cabinet Minister As a cabinet minister Arthur Meighen: introduced the strategy of closure to force the Naval Bill through the House of Commons in 1912 created the 1914 Conscription Act and the Wartime Elections Act, which were detested in Quebec as acting Minister of Justice, he was involved in suppressing the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919, which alienated a large part of the labour movement, and he was responsible for the creation of Canadian National Railways.

Highlights as Prime Minister As Prime Minister of Canada, Arthur Meighen tried unsuccessfully to revive the National Policy of high tariffs. Birth and Death Born June 16, 1874 in Anderson, Ontario Died August 5, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario Education BA Mathematics - University of Toronto Professions Political Career of Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen was first elected to the House of Commons in 1908. He was appointed Solicitor-General in 1913. He became Secretary of State in 1915. He served as Minister of the Interior and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs from 1917 to 1920. He was also Minister of Mines from 1919 to 1920. In 1920, Arthur Meighen was elected Leader of the Conservative Party. Arthur Meighen was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada in 1920. The Conservative government was defeated in the 1921 general election, and Arthur Meighen was Leader of the Opposition from 1921 to 1926.

In the 1925 election, the Conservatives won the most seats, but the Liberals led by Mackenzie King joined forces with Progressive Party members to form a government. In 1926, after a customs scandal, King resigned and Governor General Byng asked Arthur Meighen to once again form a government. The Meighen government was defeated in the House four days later and lost the election that followed in September 1926. Arthur Meighen also lost his own seat. Mackenzie King was once again Prime Minister. Arthur Meighen was appointed to the Senate in 1932 and remained a Senator until 1942. He was a Minister without Portfolio from 1932 to 1935. Arthur Meighen was persuaded to become Conservative Party leader again in 1941. He was defeated in a by-election and returned to a business career.

CanadaInfo: Government: Federal: Prime Minister: Former Prime Ministers: King National Plebiscite on Conscription 1942 Construction of the Alaska Highway 1942-1943 Family Allowances Act 1944 Descriptive Biography This statement sums up best the secret of Mackenzie King's success as prime minister,and perhaps,the key to governing Canada effectively. King's record of prime minister is sometimes difficult to assess. He had no captivating image, he gave no spellbinding speeches, he championed no radical platform. He is remembered for his mild-mannered, passive compromise and conciliation. Yet Mackenzie King led Canada for a total of twenty-two years, through half the Depression and all of the Second World War. Like every other prime minister, he had to possess ambition, stamina and determination to become prime minister and, in spite if appearances, his accomplishments in that role required political acuity, decisiveness and faultless judgement. William Lyon Mackenzie King was born in Berlin (later renamed Kitchener), Ontario in 1874. His father was a lawyer and his maternal grandfather was William Lyon Mackenzie, leader of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada.

From an early age, King identified with his grandfather, an association that influenced him throughout his political life. King studied economics and law at the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago. After graduating with an M.A. in 1897, he pursued his studies at Harvard. In 1900, he entered the civil service and became Deputy Minister of the new Department of Labour. King joined the Liberal party and won a seat in the 1908 election. The following year he was appointed Minister of Labour in Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Cabinet. After he lost his seat in the 1911 election, King worked as a labour consultant for the Rockefeller Foundation in the United States. He ran and lost again in the 1917 election. Unlike most English-speaking Liberals, he stood by Laurier in opposition to conscription. In 1919, King was elected leader of the Liberal party in the first leadership convention held in Canada. The party was still bitterly divided, with some Liberals in the Union government and some in Opposition. King's stand on conscription two years before won him the loyalty of Quebec.

Furthermore his skills as a conciliator were well developed by his labour experience and he put them to good use rebuilding the party. The Liberals won the 1921 election. The contentious issue of King's first term of office was tariffs and freight rates. King reduced them, but not enough to satisfy the prairie farmers, who gave their support to the Progressives, a new political party formed to represent their interests. After the 1925 election, King could maintain his majority only with their support. The Liberals lost a vote of confidence the following year. The Governor General refused King's request to dissolve Parliament and called on Arthur Meighen, Leader of the Opposition to form the government. However, this lasted only four days, until King called for a vote on the constitutional right of Meighen to govern. The Conservatives lost the vote and an election was called. Despite a recently - uncovered scandal involving the Liberal Minister of Customs, King and his party won the 1926 election. He took advantage of the prosperity of the late 1920s to reduce the war debt and to introduce an old-age pension scheme. Although the Liberals lost the 1930 election, it was to their benefit in the long run.

The worst years of the Depression were associated with the Conservatives. The Liberals were reinstated in government in 1935. King led the nation through the Second World War, during which Canada contributed food supplies, financial aid, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, ships, aircraft, tanks and over a million Canadian troops to the Allied cause. The close friendship of King with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President F.D. Roosevelt was one of the cornerstones of the Allied effort. One of the secrets of King's success as a leader was his ability to recognize the talents of his party members. He filled his Cabinet with extremely capable men and delegated to them the authority to carry out their tasks. National unity was King's most important goal. He recognized that this did not mean forcing all Canadians to espouse one single vision, but accommodating a multitude of differing, and sometimes conflicting, viewpoints. It was this wisdom and his ability to compromise that allowed King to successfully negotiate the issue of conscription in 1944 and avoid the divisiveness of 1917. As part of his ideals on social reform, King introduced unemployment insurance in 1940 and family allowance in 1944.

Perhaps the most significant indication of King's success as prime minister was that the Liberals remained in power for another eight years after his retirement.Politics had been King's life and an exhausting one at that; he died in 1950, less than two years after retiring. SOURCE: Library and Archives Canada. See also Arthur Meighen | prime minister of Canada | Britannica.com prime minister of Canada Arthur Meighen, (born June 16, 1874, near Anderson, Ontario , Canada —died August 5, 1960, Toronto ), Canadian politician who was Conservative Party leader (1920–26; 1941–42) and prime minister of Canada (1920–21; 1926). Arthur Meighen. Library and Archives Canada/Post Office Department fonds/e001218386 Meighen graduated from the University of Toronto in 1896 and was called to the bar in 1903. In 1908 he was elected to Parliament from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba , where he practiced law.

A noted debater, he became solicitor general in 1913 and subsequently held cabinet posts in Robert (later Sir Robert) Borden ’s government. When the Conservatives and some Liberals formed a Union Government in 1917, Meighen became minister of the interior. Meighen worked effectively to implement the controversial policies of the Borden government, many of which enlarged Canada’s role in world affairs. In 1920 Meighen became leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister after Borden resigned the posts. During his first term, Meighen waged a successful campaign in 1921 against renewal of the Anglo-Japanese alliance. Convinced that the chief threat to Canada’s national existence came from the economic power of the United States , he advocated a protective tariff system. A struggling economy and continuing resentment over some of Borden’s policies, however, contributed to the Conservatives’ defeat in the 1921 elections. Meighen became leader of the opposition party, and in 1926 he was asked to form a government following the resignation of W.L. Mackenzie King of the Liberal Party .

His second term was cut short by his party’s defeat in the House of Commons and the subsequent general election. Meighen left politics to pursue a career in business but returned in 1932 as minister without portfolio (1932–35) and senator (1932–42). In 1941 he resumed the leadership of the Conservative Party and the following year made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the House of Commons. He subsequently retired from public life. Arthur Meighen, 1920. 1921 Federal Election in Canada | Mapleleafweb.com Home » Features » Voter Almanac 1921 Federal Election in Canada Canada had emerged out of World War I with a slumping economy and a Union government that was plagued with internal dissention. As the two traditional parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives, were struggling to rebuild themselves, the populist movement among western Farmers was starting to become a powerful political force. The Progressive Party emerged as a voice for the Farmers’ Movement, which would be the beginning of regionally-based politics in Canada.

William Lyon Mackenzie King, Arthur Meighen, and Thomas Crerar would campaign on issues such as the tariff and government accountability, hoping to win votes outside of their regional support bases. The 1921 election would result in Canada’s first ever minority government and a dramatic change in Canada’s political landscape. Learn more about the election and the politicians involved. Historical Background of 1921 Election Canada was faced with post-WWI economic problems and a fragmented Union government, while in the West the Farmers’ movement was gaining momentum. Robert Laird Borden had been Canada's Prime Minister throughout World War I, winning the 1917 election by forming a Union government out of the Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals. However, this Union government started to experience difficulties once the war was over. It had no solid base of support, and therefore could not hope to win another election. The conscriptionist Liberals who had left their party were faced with the decision of becoming full-fledged Conservatives, or going back to their own party (which may have been hostile towards them). Post-war Canada was also plagued with rising unemployment and declining industrial production.

Several events set the stage for the 1921 election: The Liberal Leadership Convention Wilfrid Laurier died in 1919. To choose a new leader, the Liberal Party held the country's first ever leadership Convention. William Lyon Mackenzie King defeated W.S. Fielding to become the new leader of the Liberal Party. At the Convention, the Liberals also adopted new policies: They approved the principle of proportional representation They supported a general reduction of the tariff They proposed the enactment of schemes of insurance against unemployment, sickness, old age, and disability The Liberals would enter the 1921 election guided by King's leadership philosophy – that a leader should bring opposing views together to work towards a common goal. King saw himself as a referee between diverse interests, rather than as the final word on all party decisions. The Farmers' Movement The Farmers' movement was not a new development. It had been active in the prairie provinces since before World War I, but had been interrupted by the war and the 1917 Unionist election. This movement had always lobbied for free trade with the United States.

High tariffs at the American border had meant that farmers were forced to sell their agricultural products at lower prices, and buy farm implements at higher prices. The defeat of the Laurier-led Liberal government in 1911, after they had supported a free trade agreement with the United States, had disappointed western farmers. After the war, western voters were left with no party loyalties. Their candidates had been those Liberal insurgents who had joined the Union government. Those Liberals/Unionists were left without the solid backing of any party. The conditions were right for the rise of an independent political movement that represented western interests. Besides trade, the farmers were also dedicated to reforming Canada's political system along populist lines. The farmers advocated the adoption of instruments of direct democracy, such as citizen initiative, and greater use of plebiscites and referenda. The farmers also favoured the adoption of mechanisms to change the electoral process, such as proportional representation and recall. Creation of the Canadian Council of Agriculture In November 1918, the Canadian Council of Agriculture was created. They adopted the “New National Policy,” which repudiated the John A. Macdonald's 1879 National Policy. Their main goal was a reduction in tariffs.

This platform was also supported by the United Farmers of Alberta and Ontario, and the Grain Growers of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Formation of the National Progressive Party The Farmers' Movement and the Canadian Council of Agriculture had initially hoped to convert the Liberal Party to their point of view, and run Liberal candidates in the West under their platform. The policies adopted by the Liberals in 1919 show that the Liberals were attempting to respond. However, popular support for an independent party spread quickly. Farmers were worried that the Liberals were too concerned with maintaining support in protectionist Quebec to adequately address western concerns. The June 1919 Union government budget was another blow to the farmers. The government had failed to reduce the tariff. Thomas Crerar, the Minister of Agriculture in Borden's cabinet, resigned in protest. Nine western Unionists (who were ex-Liberals) also withdrew their support of the government. This group of politicians, along with the Canadian Council of Agriculture, started their own political action. They started running candidates in by-elections in late 1919, and won many landslide victories throughout western ridings. By 1920, they were entirely committed to independent political action.

On February 26, 1920, Crerar and 10 other MPs formed the National Progressive Party. Political Party Profiles The Progressive Party emerges as a voice for populism, while the Liberals and Conservatives start to repair internal divisions. The Liberal Party The Liberals were faced with rebuilding their party after World War I. The party had experienced many internal divisions after the conscription crisis and the 1917 election. However, they had a solid base of support in Quebec, where the Liberals had remained loyal to the anti-conscriptionists. The Liberals had been approached by the western farmers' movement to run on the “New National Policy” platform. However, the Liberals were not interested in doing this, because they feared losing support from protectionist Quebec. They entered the 1921 election led by Mackenzie King, who supported Laurier's policies of balancing opposing views. However, this would be difficult because of the radical protestors in the West. The Progressive Party The Progressive Party had its base of support in western farmers. The number one issue to farmers was free trade, which neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives were willing to put their full support behind.

With the economic discontent following World War I, the farmers' movement saw no choice but to start their own political party. The Progressive Party was unique in that it had no official national leader or policy platform. They relied on the Canadian Council of Agriculture to provide some sort of national organization, but each candidate was free to run on whatever platform he or she chose. They were a decentralized party, focusing on the West and their own constituents. The Conservative Party The Conservative Party had committed itself to a Union government in World War I, and as a result came out of the war with a non-partisan focus. That meant they had no solid base of electoral support. They had to rebuild themselves as the Conservatives again, and develop united policy guidelines. The Conservatives were also faced with the blame for rising unemployment and declining industry. Robert Borden retired from politics in 1920 for health reasons. He was replaced by Arthur Meighen. Meighen had problems gaining the support of French Conservatives, mainly because of his pro-conscription views in the 1917 election. To counter western support of the Progressives and Quebec support of the Liberals, the Conservatives would need to focus on Ontario and the Maritimes to build a base of support.

Party Leader Profiles Mackenzie King, Meighen, and Crerar all come from different backgrounds and will represent different interests. Thomas Alexander Crerar – Progressive Party Thomas Crerar was born in 1867 in Huron County, Ontario. His family moved west in 1872 to homestead in Manitoba. Crerar worked as the operator of a sawmill and as a farmer. His political career saw the following highlights: President of the Manitoba Grain Growers' Association 1907-1917 President of the United Grain Growers 1917-1929 Minister of Agriculture in Borden's cabinet 1917-1920 Led the formation of the Progressive Party 1921 Retired from politics in 1922, returning in 1929 Cabinet member for Mackenzie King 1935-1945 Senator 1945-1966 Crerar's political focus was always the advancement of western farmers through the abolition of the tariff. He died in 1975.

Arthur Meighen – Conservative Party Meighen was born in Anderson, Ontario on June 16, 1874. He was educated at the University of Toronto, receiving a degree in mathematics. He worked as a teacher, businessman, and lawyer before entering politics. The following are highlights of his political career: First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1908, serving until 1926 Leader of the Conservative Party 1920-1926 and 1941-1942 Leader of the Official Opposition 1921-1926 Prime Minister July-December 1921, and June-September 1926 Senator 1932-1942 Meighen died on August 5, 1960. William Lyon Mackenzie King – Liberal Party Mackenzie King was born on December 17, 1874 in Berlin (Kitchener) Ontario. His grandfather was William Lyon Mackenzie, leader of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada. Mackenzie King was educated at the University of Toronto and University of Chicago, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard.

He worked in the civil service and as an author before entering politics. The following are highlights of his political career: First elected as a Member of Parliament 1908 Leader of the Liberal Party 1919-1948 Leader of the Official Opposition 1919-1921 and 1926 Prime Minister 1921-1926, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948 National unity was always King's ultimate goal. He wanted to achieve this be accommodating many different viewpoints. Mackenzie King died on July 22, 1950. The Election Issues in 1921 Managing the economy and being responsible to Canadians in the post-war world emerge as dominant issues. The debate about free trade and the tariff played a significant role in this election. However, 1921 was not as focused on a single-issue as the 1911 election. Policy issues took a backseat to accusations of government mismanagement and leadership qualities. The Tariff The tariff was regarded in different ways in different parts of the country.

For western farmers, the tariff meant low prices for their agricultural products and high cost for farm implements. For eastern business interests, the tariff was desirable because it protected Canadian industry and manufacturing. The debate over the tariff played its most important role before the election, acting as the catalyst for the creation of an independent western political movement in the Progressive Party. Throughout the campaign, the opinions of leaders and their electorate regarding the tariff were already deeply embedded. Government Mismanagement and Accountability At the end of World War I, the Canadian economy was starting to decline. The main problems were unemployment and a drop in manufacturing. Party leaders made the faltering economy an issue of government mismanagement. The Union government was blamed with the economic problems facing Canada. Issues such as government waste during the war, the public debt, increased taxes, and the management of public affairs were characterized as shortcomings of the Union government. Old issues, such as support of conscription, were also brought up again to characterize candidates. The 1921 Election Campaign While regionally-based support was assured for the Progressives and the Liberals, the campaign battles would be fought where politicians thought they could sway votes. From the beginning, it was clear that the western provinces would support the Progressives and Quebec would support the Liberals.

That left Ontario, British Columbia, and the Maritimes as the major battlegrounds. Conservative Strategy Meighen supported retaining the tariff, but promised not to increase it. He had pretty much conceded the West as hopeless for the Conservatives, and focused on Ontario, British Columbia, and the Maritimes. Meighen realized that all Quebec would remember was his support of conscription during the 1917 election, and would have a hard time winning French votes. Meighen attempted to emphasize the benefits of retaining the tariff: He promised that it would promote the growth and development of the Canadian economy He pointed out that the electorate had voted to keep the tariff in 1878 and 1891 He promoted the traditional National Policy of John A. Macdonald, which focused on East-West trade to develop Canada's economy He said that the United States' economy was so superior that it would overtake Canada's economy Meighen also used personal attacks against Mackenzie King throughout his campaign, accusing him of being arrogant and vague in his promises. Liberal Strategy Mackenzie King wanted to make the political and economic record of the Union government the prominent issue of the campaign.

He wanted to make the voters question the leadership abilities of Meighen and the Conservatives. He focused on the negative aspects of their governance: He accused the Union government of securing a victory in the 1917 through corrupt means, by enfranchising voters who supported them through the Wartime Elections Act He focused on increased taxes and public debt He accused the Unionists of practicing “autocracy and extravagance” in the management of public affairs He said that Canadian war efforts could have been handled better He blamed the Unionists for indirectly causing the postwar depression Mackenzie King focused on the downfalls of government to distract attention away from his position on the tariff. He wanted to avoid having to stand behind a specific policy on the tariff (even though the Liberal Platform of 1919 had supported a reduction of the tariff). Progressive Strategy Crerar supported abolishing the tariff. While this strategy was all he needed in the West, he was faced with a tougher campaign outside of the prairie provinces.

To attract votes in other regions, he used the following strategies: He refuted the charge that he supported a class-based government He emphasized that, above all else, he supported reform and the “spirit of liberalism” He said that the real issue wasn't the tariff, but the ability and desire of the government to promote the good of special interests He attacked Liberal and Conservative campaigns as corrupt, saying that railway companies and large corporations should not be allowed to contribute to campaign funds In the initial stages of the election, Crerar had agreed to work with King because they were fighting the same opponents. However, King withdrew his support because he feared that Crerar's western support might prevent the Liberals from winning a majority government. 1921 Federal Election Results Mackenzie King’s Liberals form the first minority government in Canadian history. Mackenzie King's Liberals were one seat short of winning a majority government, and so formed the first minority government in Canadian history. The Liberals won every seat in Quebec, as well as winning substantial support in Ontario and Manitoba. The Progressives won the second most number of seats, but declined to be the Official Opposition because of their lack of national organization. They dominated the West and also won a fair number of seats in Ontario.

The Conservatives formed the Official Opposition, with scattered support throughout Ontario, BC, and the Maritimes. Population of Canada (1921): 8,760,211 Number of electors on list: 4,435,310 Total ballots cast: 3,139,306 6.1 Historical Significance of the 1921 Election The Canadian political landscape underwent a dramatic change as Canada’s first significant regionally-based party emerges, while women make their debut in Canadian politics. The 1921 was significant not for the issues it raised, but for the changes to the Canadian political landscape. This election was defined by regional divisions, and this was the first time that a political party – the Progressives - gained success by targeting its platform to a specific region with a specific policy. Canada's first legitimate third-party had emerged out of this election. The following aspects of the 1921 election made it one of the most important in Canadian political history: The Regional Character of Political Parties Up until 1921, Canadian politics had primarily been about the French/English and Catholic/Protestant divides.

Governments who had been successful, such as Wilfrid Laurier, had managed to balance those interests for a common good. However, the farmers' movement in the West would add a new dimension to Canadian politics. As the western population grew and agriculture became more important to the Canadian economy, farmers started to demand that their interests be addressed also. It was inevitable that if one of the two traditional parties could not meet the needs of westerners, a new political movement would grow out of the prairies. The Progressive Party would be the first in a long tradition of western-based protest parties. The regional differences that separate Canada – economic, social, and demographic interests – would become an important dynamic of Canadian politics. Catering to those special interests would be crucial to the success of political parties. Regional politics in Canada have been deeply entrenched ever since. Quebec Emerges from Isolation The Liberals won an overwhelming victory in Quebec, winning all 65 seats. Quebec had suffered a blow in the 1917 election, when the Laurier had been defeated by the Union government. French interests had always been marginalized in Canadian politics. When it came to controversial French-English issues, the English majority had usually managed to prevail.

However, the Liberal victory with Quebec support in 1921 meant that French Canada would have a more prominent place in Canadian politics. Canada's First Minority Government Mackenzie King was faced with having to govern without a majority government. During his first term, he had to deal with the tariff and freight rates, controversial issues with westerners. In the 1925 election, King was again elected with a minority government, and relied on the support of the Progressives to govern. Women in Canadian Politics The Wartime Elections Act had enfranchised some women for the 1917 election. In 1918, legislation was passed that enfranchised all women over the age of 21. The 1921 election was the first time that the majority of Canadian women were able to vote. In 1919, women also became eligible to run for seats in the House of Commons. Four women candidates ran in the 1921 election (2 Labour, 1 Progressive, and 1 Liberal). Agnes Macphail, the Progressive candidate from Grey South East in Ontario, was elected and became the first woman to sit in the Canadian House of Commons.

Sources and Further Reading on the 1921 Election Learn more about the election and the politicians involved. J.M. Beck, Pendulum of Power (Scarborough: Prentice Hall of Canada, Ltd., 1968). John Duffy, Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leadership, and the Making of Canada (Toronto: Harper Collins Publishers, 2002). For More Information: William Lyon Mackenzie King - Canadian History L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia William Lyon Mackenzie King King, William Lyon Mackenzie (1874-1950), prime minister of Canada (1921-6, 1926-30, and 1935-1948) was born at Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, on December 17, 1874, the eldest son of John King, and Isabel, daughter of William Lyon Mackenzie.

He was educated at the University of Toronto (B.A., 1895; LL.B., 1896; M.A., 1897) and at Harvard University (M.A., 1898; Ph.D., 1909). From 1900 to 1908 he was deputy minister of labour for Canada; and from 1908 to 1911 he was minister of labour in the Laurier government , representing during these years North Waterloo in the Canadian House of Commons. From 1911 to 1919 he was out of parliament, and from 1914 to 1917 he was employed by the Rockefeller Foundation in investigating industrial relations. In 1919 he was selected as successor to Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the leadership of the Liberal party; later in the same year he was elected to represent Prince county, Prince Edward Island, in the Canadian House of Commons; and from 1919 to 1921 he was leader of the Liberal opposition in the Commons.

In 1921, on the defeat of the Meighen administration, he was called upon to form a government; and from 1921 to 1926, with a very slender majority behind him, he carried on the government of Canada as prime minister, representing North York in the Commons. Defeated in the House in 1926, he was compelled to resign. [The event, which raised a great deal of controversy at the time, is called the King-Byng Affair ]; but after the general elections of 1926 he resumed office as prime minister, and he remained at the head of the government, representing Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, until his government was defeated [in 1930, at the outset of the Great Depression]. He then became leader of the Liberal opposition; but in 1935 was returned to power as prime minister for the third time. [He remained in power, undefeated, through the elections of 1940 and 1945, until his resignation in 1948. Mackenzie King had the distinction to take Canada through the Second World War (1939-1945).

Under his leadership, Canada fought an effective war, putting into the field around 1,000,000 men, while equipping and feeding many others. As Britain’s main ally within the Commonwealth, Canadian troops distinguished themselves through the Battle of Britain, in the North African and Italian campaigns and in the Normandy invasion in 1944. Throughout the war, Mackenzie King managed to keep the people of Canada working together, although the plebiscite of 1942 and the conscription crisis of 1944 strained relations between Quebecers and the rest of Canadians. His reelection in 1945, winning the majority of the seats in Quebec while he retained substantial support in the rest of the country, testifies to his ability as prime minister. King was a crafty politician, with an ear to the ground, quick in sensing the prevailing mood of Canadians, and able to act decisively when it was necessary. In recent years, his reputation has been somewhat tarnished by stories of his eccentricities and his “dialogue” with the spirit world. However, these do not alter in a substantial way his remarkable record in office.

We associate the administration of King with major advances in the international status of Canada, leading to the Statute of Westminster that recognized essentially the independence of Canada, with the creation of a Canadian citizenship (1947), the establishment of Old Age pensions (1927), of Air Canada (1937), of the National Film Board (1939), of Unemployment Insurance (1940) and Family Allowances (1945). His creation of the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial relations (known as the Rowell-Sirois Commission ) led to profound changes in Canadian federalism . King is also credited with the appointment of the first female senator (Cairine Wilson) in 1930. On the other hand, King is criticized for failing to come to the help of Jewish refugees fleeing the persecution of the Nazis in the 1930’s and for his support of the policy of appeasement of Nazi Germany throughout the same decade, failing to see the ruthless nature of Hitler. In the post-war period, he favoured renewed immigration but did not wish to see “a fundamental alteration in the character of our population”.] He was created a C.M.G.

in 1906, and an imperial privy councilor in 1922. He was an LL.D. of Queen's University (1919), Toronto (1922), Harvard (1923), Edinburgh (1923), Yale (1924), and a D.C.L. of Oxford (1923). In 1910 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was the author of The secret of heroism (New York, 1906), Industry and humanity (Toronto, 1918), and The message of the carillon (Toronto, 1927). He [was] not married. [The diaries of Mackenzie King are available on-line and contain much material of interest to the student of Canadian politics through the 1930's and the 1940's.] Source: W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., “William Lyon Mackenzie King”, in The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. III, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 396p., pp. 334-335.

Parts between brackets […] were added by Claude Bélanger. Prime Ministers of Canada prime ministers of Canada There are about ten million sites on the net that could give you a list of all the prime ministers of Canada. However, the unique nature of the office merits a more comprehensive chart. In this chart, I use the term "interim" to designate prime ministers who were never elected to office by the Canadian people, and simply held their position by virtue of party appointment. Once they win an election, they cease to be interim, although sometimes that never happened. Blue signifies the "Conservative Party" (in whatever form the party was taking at the time) and red signifies the Liberal Party, obviously. The dark colors are used to signify prime ministers who were elected to their office. # July 1, 1867 - November 7, 1873 6 years, 4 months, 6 d. 2 November 7, 1873 - January 22, 1874 2 months , 15 d. January 22, 1874 - October 17, 1878 4 years, 8 months, 26 d.

0 John A. MacDonald (2nd time) October 17, 1878 - June 6, 1891 12 years, 7 months, 19 d. 4 June 6, 1891 - June 16, 1891 10 d. June 16, 1891 - December 5, 1892 1 year, 5 months, 20 d. 0 December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894 2 years, 7 d. December 12, 1894 - December 21, 1894 9 d. December 21, 1894 - May 1, 1896 1 year, 4 months, 11 d. 0 May 1, 1896 - July 11, 1896 2 months, 10 d. July 11, 1896 - October 10, 1911 15 years, 2 months, 30 d.

4 Oct 10, 1911 - July 10, 1920 8 years, 9 months July 10, 1920 - December 29, 1921* 1 year, 5 months December 29, 1921 - June 28,1926 4 years, 5 months, 29 d. 2 Arthur Meighen (2nd time) (interim)ï¿½ June 28, 1926 - September 25, 1926 2 months, 27 d. September 25, 1926 - August 7, 1930 3 years, 10 months, 13 days 1 August 7, 1930 - October 23, 1935 5 years, 2 months, 16 d. 1 October 23, 1935 - November 15, 1948 13 years, 22 d.

November 15, 1948 - June 27, 1949 7 months, 12 d. June 27, 1949 - June 21, 1957 7 years, 11 months, 24 d. 2 June 21, 1957 - April 22, 1963 5 years, 10 months, 1 d. 3 April 22, 1963 - April 20, 1968 4 years, 11 months, 28 d. 1 April 20, 1968 - June 25, 1968 2 months, 5 d. June 25, 1968 - June 4, 1979 10 years, 11 months, 19 d.

2 June 4, 1979 - March 3, 1980 8 months, 30 days March 3, 1980 - June 30, 1984 4 years, 3 months, 27 d. 1 June 30, 1984 - September 17, 1984 2 months, 17 d. September 17, 1984 - June 25, 1993 8 years, 9 months, 8 d. 2 June 25, 1993 - November 4, 1993 4 months, 9 d. November 4, 1993 - December 12, 2003 10 years, 1 month, 8 d. 3 December 12, 2003 - June 28, 2004 6 months, 16 d. June 28, 2004 - February 6, 2006 1 year, 7 months, 6 d.

0 February 6, 2006 - November 4, 2015 9 years, 8 months, 29 d. 3 1 Minority Governments There have been a few cases in which a prime minister has not founnd himself in control of the majority of MPs in the House of Commons. Such a situation is known as a "minority government" and rarely lasts long before the opposition MPs decide to turn against the PM and force a no-confidence vote. Here is a timeline of Canada's minority governments: # November 7, 1873 - January 22, 1874 2 months , 15 d. October 29, 1925- June 28,1926 7 months, 29 d. June 28, 1926 - September 25, 1926 2 months, 27 d. June 21, 1957 - March 31, 1958 9 months, 10 d.

June 18, 1962 - February 5, 1963 7 months, 15 d. April 22, 1963 - November 8, 1965 2 years, 6 months, 16 d. Election Call November 8, 1965 - April 20, 1968 2 years, 5 months, 12 d. Resigned April 20, 1968 - June 25, 1968 2 months, 5 d. October 30, 1972 - May 8, 1974 1 year, 6 months, 9 d. No Confidence Vote June 4, 1979 - December 13, 1979 6 months, 9 d. June 28, 2004 - November 28, 2005 1 year, 5 months February 6, 2006 - October 14, 2008 2 years, 8 months, 8 d.

Election Call October 14, 2008 - March 25, 2011 2 years, 5 months, 11 d. No Confidence Vote ï¿½ John A. resigned in 1873, and the governor general appointed opposition leader Alexander Mackenzie as prime minister to replace him. Mackenzie called elections shortly thereafter, which he won. ï¿½ In the aftermath of the 1925 election Mackenzie King was allowed to remain prime minister despite the fact that the Conservative Party had won more seats. In 1926 Mackenzie King tried to call an election but the governor general fired him and appointed Conservative leader Arthur Meighen prime minister instead. ï¿½ In determining the start and end of a minority governement I use the dates of election calls / no confidence votes as the end and the days of elections themselves as the start (if the PM is already the incumbent.) NOTES: The Canadian media generally refers to Justin Trudeau as the "23rd Prime Minister of Canada." This assumes that prime ministers don't count "twice" (or more) if they serve two (or more) non-consecutive terms.

Technically, there are no such things as "terms" for Canada's prime ministers. Brian Mulroney was not a "two-term" prime minister, he was just a prime minister who was elected twice. He only took the oath of office once. For the few "interim" prime ministers who were elected in their own right, I have used the date they won election as the date they ceased to be "interim." There may be a more formal date to use, such as the day the governor general officially asks them to "form government" but for the purposes of this chart, the date of an election seems sufficient. Evem more data:

Question: Who was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 1921?
Answer: Mackenzie King